<aside> 🌟 DEBUNKING THE DOE

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Opening activity (30 mins)

• What kind of school did you go to?
  • Public, private, charter, home, independent of some sort
• What was one of your favorite STEAM activities that you did in your K-8 education?
• What is something (multiple things) that you wish you learned about in your K-8 education?
  • Write on post-its, paste up on wall
• [Show & Tell vibe, get up, look at wall, group discussion]
  • Pick a post-it that you didn’t write that you like
    • We’ll go around and share
      • Why/what you like(d) about that post it note, person who wrote it gets to share

Intro to the DOE (30 mins)

• What is the DOE? Izzy

  • Formal name is the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE)
  • It is a department within the government of New York City that manages the city’s public school system
  • The New York public school system is the largest school system in the United States, and the world, with over 1.1 million students taught in over 1,800 different schools
    • More details on these numbers to come
  • DOE covers all 5 boroughs of New York City
    • the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island
  • Annual budget of over $38 billion
  • DOE is run by the Panel for Educational Policy and the NYC Schools Chancellor
    • Panel for Education Policy
      • Governing body of the DOE
      • Previously known as the New York City Board of Education
      • Members are appointed by the mayor and 5 borough presidents
    • Chancellor

      • Head of the DOE

      • Appointed by the Mayor

      • Responsible for day-to-day operation of the DOE and overall responsibility of all NYC public schools

      • Also a member of the Panel for Education Policy

      • Current chancellor: David C. Banks

        

• DOE history - Izzy

  • Established by the New York State legislature in 1842
  • Freedom Day: February 3rd, 1964
    • Boycott and protest against the segregation in the NYC public school system
    • Took place over the deplorable conditions in public schools
    • Rallies demanding school integration
    • Described as one of the largest civil rights protests of the 1960s
    • Involved nearly half a million participants
  • Freedom day led to the creation of the DOE
  • 1969:
    • Protests, strikes, and demands for community control continuing, NYC Mayor John Lindsay ended mayoral control for schools, and instead organized the city school system into the Board of Education and 32 community school boards.
    • This is where we see the beginning of school districts arise
      • Elementary and middle schools grouped into 32 community school districts
      • High schools grouped into 5 geographically larger districts
      • Several special districts for alternative schools, some specifically serving disabled students
  • 2002:
    • School system reorganized again, control given to the mayor
    • Community school board powers diminished :(
    • Board of Education → Panel for Educational Policy
      • Panel, along with the Chancellor and other school employees became known as the “Department of Education of the City of New York”
  • 2003:
    • District reorganization!
      • Districts get grouped into 10 regions
        • Each region has elementary, middle, and high school districts
  • Since 2009:
    • Mayoral control of the DOE system remains
    • This law expires at the end of Mayor DeBlasio’s term at the end of this year (2022)

• Who/what schools are included in the DOE? Carter

  • there are 1859 schools in the New York DOE as of fall 2021
    • this includes 271 charter schools
  • Over 1 million students were enrolled in the NYC school system in 2021-2022
    • 139,752 were in charter schools
  • 13.9% were English Language Learners
  • 20.6% are students with disabilities
  • 71.0% were economically disadvantaged
  • Race or ethnicity
    • 41.1% of students were Hispanic
    • 24.4% of students were Black
    • 16.6% of students were asian
    • 14.7% of students were white
  • 78.8% graduation rate

• The restrictions/structure of the DOE & DOE teachers Carter

  • Tests
    • Examples
      • SHSAT
  • Funding
    • Funding has been a longstanding barrier for teachers in this country

• What kinds of adults are in a DOE classroom?

  • Multiple teachers
  • Paraprofessional

The DOE & Harlem

• How has the DOE affected Harlem Public Schools (both do research)
• Inequities of the DOE system

The DOE & Our Work as SEEDs (Carter & Izzy together)

• Why is the DOE relevant to our work as SEEDs?
• What learning expectations does the DOE set forth for the specific age groups we work with?